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Auction: 21042 - The Opium Wars Collection
Lot: 46

First Opium War
The Eastern Expedition
The First Capture of Chusan
1840 (7 July) entire letter written by John Robert on "H.M.S. 'Melville', Chusan Harbour" to London giving an eye-witness account of the battle, he lists the ships and troops involved. Sent "via Marseilles" and rated "8" in black ink, the reverse with Calcutta Ship Letter and Ship Letter bearing, London straight-line "ship letter" and London arrival c.d.s. (19.3); there is a light vertical folding crease.


The letter includes, "I address you, for the first time, from an altogether new portion of China, and while engaged in an altogether new course of the operation. We are in possession of the chief town of the Island of Chusan and its suburbs, having had one man wounded on our side and killing or severly wounding about a dozen that we know of ... Our ships are chiefly the 'Melville' - Admiral the Hon George Elliot's flag ... 'Wellesley' - Commodore Sir Gordon Bremner's ... 'Conway' - Captain Drinkwater Bethune ... 'Alligator'; 'Rattlesnake' (troop ship); 'Cruiser'. 'Algerine', 'Pylades'; Steamer 'Queen'. 'Atlanta', 'Madagascar', 'Enterprise' ... Our Regiments are the 18th or Royal Irish commanded by Colonel Burrel who is also in command of the whole force, consequently a brigadier general, and protempore governor of the Island; 26th or Cameronians, Colonel James, the former commander, Col. Oglander having died on the passage from Macao is to be interred on shore today; 49th Colonel - a regiment of Bengal Volunteer made up from different native regiments ... a corps of Bengal Engineers - all able officers and a corps of sappers and Miners from Madras". He continues, "The Admiral is a pleasant old man, but seems timid of responsibility. The Brigadier and Governor is an old woman, unfit for anything but a retired list". The letter is continued on 21 July from the 'Wellesley' and completed on 1 August by another family member/friend. A desirable first hand account

provenance:
John Sussex, "The Opening of China", November 1987


1840年7月7日寄往倫敦信函, John Robert 寫於泊在舟山港口的英國皇家戰艦"Melville號"上, 信函上寫了遞送費為 8d, 另有途經各地的戳記及3月19日的倫敦到達日戳. 信函經過加爾各答及馬賽送抵英倫;. 信函有摺痕; 發信人作為第一次定海之戰的目擊者, 在信函中親述了這塲戰事的情况與參戰艦隻. ....我們知道大約有十幾個人被殺或重傷......我們的船隻主要是“梅爾維爾”--喬治·埃利奧特勳爵海軍上將的旗幟......“韋爾斯利”--準將戈登·布雷姆納爵士的……“康威”--德林克沃特白求恩船長……“鱷魚”；“響尾蛇”(軍艦); “巡洋艦”. “阿爾及利亞”, “皮拉德斯”; 汽船“女王”. “亞特蘭大”, “馬達加斯加”, “企業”…………我們的團是第 18 團或皇家愛爾蘭團, 由 Burrel 上校指揮, 他也指揮整個部隊, 因此是準將和島上的臨時總督. 這封信於 7 月 21 日從“Wellesley” 繼續, 並於 8 月 1 日由另一位家庭成員/朋友完成. 罕見的第一次定海之戰原始資料.

Sold for
HK$55,000

Starting price
HK$15000